We opted to have a lazy day together and stay in to enjoy the warmth of our apartment. Regardless, in my last update I had mentioned camping at Tripod Reservoir with a friend. I wanted to fill the space of this week’s entry with a post about one of the most unique camping trips I’ve ever been on.

September 28, 2019

Daniel and I have been friends since we were both teenagers. For as long as I’ve known him, he has always been deeply involved in gun culture. He grew up shooting in competitions, had jobs in his early 20’s at both a local gun store as well as a local firearm manufacturor, all prior to enlisting in the military. Daniel was the friend that introduced me to his collection of guns after my dad’s first attempt to have me shoot his .45 as a teenager ended with me busting my nose open because I didn't understand the term “limp wrist” or how that term could possibly prevent the recoil from getting away from me. Starting with .22lr, we moved through a handful of smaller calibers until we found what I liked shooting. Daniel has always been the advocate for responsible, and lawful, gun ownership, and he has built a career that allows him to continue with that pursuit. When he told me he had been asked to model for a product shoot, it honestly didn't come as a surprise when I found out it was for a few firearm companies working on a PNW look book. He asked me to join so I could get introduced to some new faces.

The destination was Tripod Reservoir. It was a spot near Smith’s Ferry, roughly 90 minutes outside of the treasure valley. We left after work, so by the time we reached Cougar Mountain Lodge the sun had already set. We set up our tent in darkness (which is an experience that further drives my passion to getting a roof top tent) and said quick hellos for a few minutes before calling it a night. We set up our tent next to his sister’s tent. Like myself, she was also in the hair industry, but her husband, Breck, had been doing a lot of photography work for 2A Armament, as well as a few other friends of his within the firearms community.

The next morning, we made it our mission to make the most spectacular fire for that evening. We grabbed the gear out of Daniel’s truck, and started finding trees and deadfall we could work on.

After we got the fire burning, cameras that were much nicer than the one on my phone came out, and I got introduced to two companies, both based out of Boise, ID.

Tactical Solutions is a firearms manufacturer that focuses on Glock conversion kits and .22lr rifles. They were getting product shots of their backpacker takedown rifle, as well as the pac-lite pistol with integrated suppressor.

Breck also brought a few rifles along with him from 2A, and I got my first glance at a platform I would eventually take home myself.

Personally, I’m on the side of the aisle that is an advocate for responsible gun ownership, and more education around firearms. One of the most interesting things about the pandemic is seeing how many first time gun owners are purchasing without educating themselves fully about what they are potentially investing into. There is a lot of fear surrounding firearms in today’s culture, and I feel that the portrayal of guns in news and on social media has a lot to do with the heart of that fear. I don’t necessarily think that it’s some giant conspiracy that’s trying to manipulate the fabric of society, but I think it’s human nature to watch things that are greatly sensational. It’s always the worst of society that gets put on display and never the average person that hunts or simply wants to ensure their family’s protection. Hunters aren’t sensational, because we’ve been doing that as a species for thousands of years, so instead, we talk about and report on the taboo and the things that you aren’t supposed to do in polite society, and it’s in those portrayals of gun owners as the people who snap and cause mass shootings that there is why there is a lot of fear around the second amendment. I honestly think normalizing firearm ownership will make for a more polite society, and Idaho is a great example of that. Technology is always moving forward, and our founding fathers wanted the average citizen to have the ability to protect themselves. The technology of their time was a musket, we’re lucky enough to live in the United States, and have the best platform available, the AR15, and even more fortunate to live in the same city as one of the top manufacturers of the platform. 2A offers builds that are CNC machined with precision to offer a heavy duty build in a lightweight frame. I eventually picked up a Balios for myself, and I love taking it out to the desert for target practice and drills.

Eventually, the evening came, and the fire slowly gave out, and we had the following morning to break down everything. I spent a little time walking around the trails and found the remnants of the wood piles left by the boy scouts camping on the opposite side of the water. Meanwhile, Daniel went off to get pictures of holsters and gear with the Shane and Travis from Safariland.